BREAKING NEWS: Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius being questioned by police after his girlfriend was found shot dead in his home

BREAKING NEWS: Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius arrested after 'he accidentally shot dead his girlfriend at his South Africa home after mistaking her for a burglar'Incident happened on his Pretoria farm, north-east of Johannesburg at 4am Dead woman believed to be former FHM model Reeva SteenkampShe was shot several times in the head, chest and the armPistorius believed to have told police he thought she was an intruderMedia reporting it could have been a Valentine's Day surprise gone wrong

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The body of the woman has been removed from his house and the athlete is being questioned.

The
track star lives on a large farm north-east of Johannesburg in the
Pretoria region of South Africa, which is heavily guarded.

In
an interview with the Mail before London 2012 it was revealed he slept
with a pistol next to his bed and kept a machine gun by a window.

Scene: Police were called to Oscar's home, pictured, at 4am where a 30-year-old woman was treated by paramedics but died there

Death: Oscar Pistorius on his Pretoria at his house in Pretoria, where a woman believed to be his girlfriend was found shot dead today

Grand: Mr Pistorius lives in a large farm in Pretoria, which is surrounded by high walls and armed guards

Miss
Steenkamp, a law graduate from Port Elizabeth, gave an interview to the
Sunday Times in South Africa last week where she described her
boyfriend as 'an impeccable man who always her best interests at heart'.

On
her Facebook and Twitter pages, she describes herself as an 'SA Model,
FHM Cover Girl, Tropika Island of Treasure Celeb Contestant, Law
Graduate, Ambassador'

The blade-runner has done more than any other athlete to put the Paralympics on the global map since he first won medals aged 17 in the Athens Games of 2004.

He was expected to take home a haul of paralympic golds at London 2012 but failed to deliver.

His first final was in the 200m, where he finished a shock second to Oliveira, and then accused rivals, including his young conqueror, of running on blades that were too long.

Then Pistorius had to settle for fourth place in the 100m individual event when the glory – and the went to Britain’s new track icon, Jonnie Peacock.

But this defeat and the outburst were followed by a measure of redemption when Pistorius anchored his country’s 4 x 100m relay gold in a world record time.

Icon: The athlete has done more than anyone to promote disabled sport and is one of the world's most famous athletes

Winner: Oscar Pistorius celebrates with his gold medal following the men's 400m win at London 2012

South Africa has some of the world's
highest rates of violent crime and some home-owners carry weapons to
defend themselves against intruders.

An average of nearly 50 people are
murdered there each day, while there are also high levels of assault,
rape, robbery and carjackings.

According to United Nations research,
South Africa has one of the highest firearm-related homicide rates in
the world, second only to Colombia at the time.

The rate, which was measured per 100,000 people, put the country's score four times higher than the US.

According to statistics 12.7 in every
100 people in South Africa own a gun and it is estimated there are
almost six million civilian firearms.

The BBC reported that in 2008/09 there were 662 murders in the UK, while in South Africa there were 18,148.

On top of this there are also an alleged 18,000 attempted murders each year.

Model: Reeva Steenkamp had been seeing Oscar since November but had forged her own successful career in South Africa

Famous: The 30-year-old has 3,000 followers on Twitter and is a law graduate from Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Just three days ago, Pistorius tweeted about his excitement regarding his first race of 2013, accompanied by a photograph of him in action.

He said: '1 month till my first race of 2013.. Can't wait to burn it up!'

South African journalist Kalay Maistry told Sky News: 'It is alleged that he thought his girlfriend, who’d come in to try to surprise him for Valentine's Day, was an intruder. It’s alleged that he shot her in the arm and head.

'I think what this actually highlights is the level of fear ordinary South Africans have.

'This is a man who has gone to bed, it’s an innocent surprise from a girlfriend … and the moment he thinks someone is trying to break in he grabs his gun.

'This has come as a complete surprise for a man who’s considered a national hero.'

Police spokesperson Katlego Mogale told the media that she could not confirm the man's identity until he appears in court.

She
added that a 9mm pistol was recovered from the scene and a case of
murder is being investigated. The woman was apparently shot four times.

Police are still busy with preliminary investigations on the scene, and statements are being taken from neighbours.

On Pistorius's website, a quote from Lord Coe from before London 2012 describes him as a 'real inspiration to people around the world', and a spokesman from sports giant Nike describes time with Pistorius as 'some of the most inspirational time we've ever spent around an athlete'.

Lord Coe said: 'Oscar is an extraordinary athlete who has made a significant impact in international sport.

'It will be fantastic to see him compete in London this summer – spectators can expect a real treat!

'He's been a real inspiration to people around the world so we were thrilled when he decided to join our International Inspiration programme as an ambassador, helping us to inspire young people worldwide.'

Arturo Nunez, Nike emerging markets marketing director, said: 'Nike routinely works with the best athletes in the world, and Oscar Pistorius stands out on that list.

'Many world-class athletes visit Nike and amaze our community, but the two weeks that Oscar spent on campus last summer went down as some of the most inspirational time we've ever spent around an athlete.'